


A Powerful Warlock

by KaibaSlaveGirl34



Series: Yu-Gi-Oh Stories/Crossovers [15]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Episode Related, Episode Remix, Episode: s01e03 The Witch, Episode: s04e04 Fear Itself, Episode: s05e16 The Body, Episode: s06e17 Normal Again, Episode: s07e04 Help, Episode: s07e18 Dirty Girls, F/M, Magic, Spells & Enchantments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-10-08
Updated: 2013-03-09
Packaged: 2017-10-24 10:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/262401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaibaSlaveGirl34/pseuds/KaibaSlaveGirl34
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set at the end of the Season 1 episode Witch; AU from there. Yami banishes Amy’s mother Catherine to a place where she can’t hurt Amy ever again, and also changes Amy for the better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Thunder Rolls

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Harry2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harry2/gifts), [Kohanita](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kohanita/gifts).



> Hey there! Here’s a new Buffy/Yu-Gi-Oh story I cooked up one day. While I was listening to The Thunder Rolls by Garth Brooks, I thought of the character Amy Madison. It was sad that, because of abuse at the hands of her mother Catherine (who would’ve given Joan Crawford a run for her money when it came to child abuse), she became insane and eventually turned to the dark side.
> 
> And then I began to wonder about Amy’s father — his name, what he had been like, and also about the other woman he had left Catherine for when Amy was twelve. I think it’s fun to create stories about characters like that — characters that are mentioned, but never seen, or characters whose backstories are never fully explained, which is usually left up to us fanfiction writers. That is where creativity comes in, of course.
> 
> So I cooked this up in order to show what could’ve happened if Amy had never turned to the dark side because of her mother’s abuse, and had instead, thanks to the influence of a former Pharaoh named Yami, became a valuable ally as well as a member of the Scooby Gang. Hope you like it! :)
> 
> (The stuff at the beginning of this oneshot, namely the part after the quotes from the episode Witch, doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to [RosieMary](http://www.fanfiction.net/u/752949/RosieMary), a friend of mine on FanFiction.Net, who said I could use part of [chapter 6 of her story Vengeance](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2375073/6/Vengeance); I thanked her for telling me I could.)
> 
> Disclaimer: Genius Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Kazuki Takahashi (also a genius) owns Yu-Gi-Oh. I own the fanfics that I cook up from time to time.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is what would've happened if Yami had been there in the Season 1 episode **Witch** and straightened everything out in the end. Xander and Willow suddenly come face to face with the real identity of the witch that had been casting spells on the cheerleaders in order to become the captain of the squad, and realized that it wasn’t Amy like they'd first thought..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the first chapter of my Buffy/Yu-Gi-Oh story “A Powerful Warlock”. It's very neat, of course. Hope you like it! :)

A Powerful Warlock

_Her nickname was ‛Catherine the Great’. She took that team and made them tri-county champions. Y’know, no one’s ever done that before, or since. She and my dad were Homecoming King and Queen. They got married right after graduation._

_Well, he was a big loser. Never made any money. Ran off with Miss Trailer Trash when I was twelve._

_I mean, when dad was here, they would fight and yell and he would... call her a witch and... I mean, I would, just thought he meant... Oh, God, when he left, I wanted to go with him. But she wouldn’t even let me call. She went crazy. I mean, she’d lock herself upstairs for days, and she was always coming down on me, telling me I didn’t deserve to have it so easy, and that I didn’t know... how hard it was to be her, and... I guess she showed me, huh?_  
~Amy Madison in the Season 1 episode **Witch** from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

It was 1992. Inside a large house in Sunnydale, California, a big argument was taking place. Catherine Madison and her husband, Charlie, were in the middle of a heated argument.

“That whore! That little slut!” Catherine was yelling, over and over again.

Their daughter, Amy Madison, was hiding upstairs, crying. Her parents had always had problems. They had married young, right after they graduated from Sunnydale High, and they’d stayed together for Amy’s sake. Now, she was twelve; it seemed like everything was falling apart.

“Running off with Miss Trailer Trash like this! Danielle! My best friend! Amy’s godmother!” she screamed.

“You can’t talk about her like that!” he yelled back. “You hardly even know her anymore!”

“I know enough about her. I’ll curse her name!” Catherine hissed.

“Shut up, you evil witch!” her husband snapped in reply.

“The truth can’t hurt me, Charlie! I’ve given up my life for you and Amy! Since I was eighteen, I have done nothing for myself! I’ve been slaving after you two! Well, you can leave, but you’ll regret it, I swear! You’ve ruined everything for me, but you won’t for Amy. She’s done nothing to deserve this! She will have a life!”

Amy cowered as she heard these words. She knew the kind of life her mother wanted her to have.

* * *

It was 1997. Catherine frowned at Amy. Standing beside Amy were Buffy Summers, Xander Harris, Willow Rosenberg and a young man with crimson eyes and lightning bolt-shaped hair in red, yellow and black, who had introduced himself as Yami. She tightened her grip on the fire ax in her hand. “How dare you raise your hand to your mother!” she hissed in Amy’s direction. “I gave you birth. I gave up my life so you could drag that worthless carcass around and call it living?”

Amy looked at Yami, a scared look in her eyes, while she held onto his hand. He turned to her and gave her a smile of encouragement.

“Don’t worry, Amy. I promise, she’ll get what’s coming to her,” he said. “You won’t have to worry about her ever again.”

His words seemed to cheer Amy up, for the smile that crossed her face was one of gratefulness.

Yami then turned and glared at Catherine, his crimson eyes locked on the woman who had made Amy’s life a living pit of burning fire ever since she was twelve. Xander and Willow also looked on at the scene unfolding before them. Only unlike Yami, Xander’s and Willow’s eyes were full of surprise and shock. They had discovered that the witch responsible for casting spells on the cheerleaders in order to become the squad captain was not Amy, as they had first thought, but actually Catherine — Amy’s own mother — the whole time.

 _And she calls herself Amy’s mother!_ Yami thought. _She’s not even close. What kind of mother would want to switch bodies with her own daughter just to relive her glory days as a cheerleader?_

Xander caught these thoughts. “Really, Yami? I was wondering the same thing,” he said out loud.

Yami heard him, and, without turning around, said, “You’d be surprised, Alexander. Very surprised indeed.”

Then he raised a hand and said, “Fireball Attack!”

A red beam of light appeared in his hand and flew over to Catherine, where it knocked her off-balance, as well as causing the fire ax to fly over to its proper place on the wall.

Then Yami closed his eyes and began to concentrate, saying a spell — which Xander, Buffy, Willow and Amy didn’t understand. However, they did know that this spell wasn’t in Latin.

Whatever it was, it was working, because Catherine began screaming as flames erupted from her body, and then she turned into ashes as her shrieks faded into the silence...

Finally, Catherine the Great was dead — and Amy was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief knowing that her mother would never hurt her again and was in a place she deserved to be.

“It’s over,” said Yami, breaking the silence. “She is gone, and she will never lay a hand on Amy again.”

* * *

The next day at Sunnydale High, students were milling about the campus as usual. Yami was walking with Buffy, Xander, Willow and Amy when they came to the trophy case with the cheerleading trophy.

“Well,” said Yami, “it looks like everything is back to normal — at least as it can ever be on the town on top of a ‛Boca del Infierno’, of course.”

Upon seeing their puzzled looks, he said, “Well, that’s what they called the Hellmouth back then. They also called it the Mouth of Hell, too.”

“‛They’?” asked Amy.

“The Spanish settlers.” He grinned, showing off his brilliant, white teeth. “I’ve been brushing up on the history of the United States. Fascinating, the history in the place you mortals call the ‛library’, what with all those books.”

“Did you hear what he called us?” Buffy whispered to Xander, Amy and Willow. “He called us ‛mortals’, like he wasn’t even human himself.”

“I heard you, Buffy.”

They almost jumped upon hearing Yami’s baritone voice. “And it is true that most men never called me a human, and some would say a demon — which I am not.”

“I see,” said Xander. “So, Yami, what was that spell you used to do what it was you did to Amy’s mother?”

“Yeah. For one thing, it sure wasn’t in Latin,” said Amy, and Willow nodded in agreement.

Yami replied, “That spell I used is one that burns an evil person to ashes. It’s an ancient spell I’ve learned a long time ago — long before you guys were even born. Luckily, I can use it over and over if I want, so it’s unlimited. I have a good supply of magics I can use.

“And as for the language it was in, that was the language from my homeland — Egypt.”

“Egypt?” Xander, Willow, Buffy and Amy said as one in surprise.

“The land of the Pharaohs?” said Buffy. Yami nodded.

“Yes, Buffy,” he replied. “You could call it that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice feedback is appreciated, of course. :)


	2. A Talk with Yami

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Scooby Gang talks with Yami while at college...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the second chapter of my new Buffy/Yu-Gi-Oh crossover story. As this is AU, Xander never went on his road trip (meaning his car never breaks down at Oxford, thus no washing dishes at the “Fabulous Ladies Night Club”, heading back home and then having to sleep in his parents’ basement and pay the rent). Instead, he chose to enroll in college with Buffy and the gang. Plus, Buffy’s line “we were all caught off-guard when Ethan turned everyone into their costumes” is from Fear, Itself, and this takes place after that episode.

**Previously...**

_“Well,” said Yami, “it looks like everything is back to normal — at least as it can ever be in the town that’s situated on top of a ‛Boca del Infierno’, of course.”_

_Upon seeing their puzzled looks, he said, “Well, that’s what they called the Hellmouth back then.”_

_“ ‛They’?” asked Amy._

_“The Spanish settlers.” He grinned, showing off his brilliant, white teeth. “I’ve been brushing up on the history of the United States. Fascinating, the history in the place you mortals call the ‛library’, what with all those books.”_

_“Did you hear what he called us?” Buffy whispered to Xander, Amy and Willow. “He called us ‛mortals’, like he wasn’t even human himself.”_

_“I heard you, Buffy.”_

_They almost jumped upon hearing Yami’s baritone voice. “And it is true that most men never called me a human, and some would say a demon — which I am not.”_

_“I see,” said Xander. “So, Yami, what was that spell you used to do what it was you did to Amy’s mother?”_

_“Yeah. For one thing, it wasn’t in Latin,” said Amy, and Willow nodded in agreement._

_“That spell I used is one that burns an evil person to ashes. It’s an ancient spell I’ve learned a long time ago — long before you guys were even born. Luckily, I can use it over and over if I want, so it’s unlimited. I have a good supply of magics I can use._

_And as for the language it was in, that was the language from my homeland — Egypt.”_

_“Egypt?” Xander, Willow, Buffy and Amy said as one in surprise._

_“The land of the Pharaohs?” said Buffy. Yami nodded._

_“Yes, Buffy,” he replied. “You could call it that.”_

* * *

_Well, I was born in a small town_  
_And I live in a small town_  
_Prob’ly die in a small town_  
_Oh, those small communities_

_All my friends are so small town_  
_My parents live in the same small town_  
_My job is so small town_  
_Provides little opportunity_

_Educated in a small town_  
_Taught the fear of Jesus in a small town_  
_Used to daydream in that small town_  
_Another born romantic, that’s me_

_But I’ve seen it all in a small town,_  
_Had myself a ball in a small town_  
_Married an L.A. doll and brought her to this small town_  
_Now she’s small town just like me_

_No I cannot forget where it is that I come from_  
_I cannot forget the people who love me_  
_Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town_  
_And people let me be just what I want to be_

_Got nothing against a big town_  
_Still hayseed enough to say_  
_Look who’s in the big town_  
_But my bed is in a small town_  
_Oh, and that’s good enough for me_

_Well, I was born in a small town_  
_And I can breathe in a small town_  
_Gonna die in this small town_  
_And that’s probably where they’ll bury me_  
~John Mellencamp, **Small Town**

The year was now 2000. It was September, and Buffy and her friends, along with Yami, were in college at UC Sunnydale. Sunnydale High School had been blown up. But the real event happened when, much to the shock of Mayor Richard Wilkins’ vampire minions, as well as Richard himself, Yami sent him to the Shadow Realm (which was also called the “Realm of Eternal Darkness”) before he could Ascend into the demon Olvikan. Then, Giles had taken that as his cue and blown up the school. The fact that the vampires knew what the Shadow Realm was — and feared it as well — made Yami smile.

“Wow, Yami,” said Buffy. “It sounds like you’ve been everywhere — to so many exciting places and seen so many things.”

Oz just nodded and said, “Hmm... that is quite something.”

“Yeah,” said Willow. “You see, in college, there’s so much knowledge to soak up in a sponge-like fashion, whereas in high school, knowledge was pretty much frowned upon. But now, I can flourish in this environment, especially since — since I know I am a genius, and college does accept people with genius-level intellects.”

Yami smiled at the redhead. He knew she would definitely be a great genius.

But then, he stopped, his crimson eyes narrowed and his mind focused as he sensed something — something that was not quite right.

“Yami?”

Yami turned to Buffy and placed a finger to her lips. “Shh, Buffy. I sense something — something ancient... and evil.”

“ ‛Something ancient and evil’, really?” asked Xander, now curious. “What is it, Yami?”

“Hmm... I’m not sure, but I do know this. Apparently whatever it is, it doesn’t want to go after Buffy.”

“It doesn’t?” asked Amy.

“No,” Yami replied. “In actuality, it wants to go after... me.”

He paused to take in the reactions of Buffy and her friends. Oz was impassive, Buffy looked surprised, Xander blinked, Willow looked shocked, and Amy was puzzled.

_OK, not quite the reactions I was hoping for..._

“Well, I’m sure that whatever it is, Yami, we know that you can take care of it. After all, you sent Amy’s mom to a place she deserved to be while burning her body to ashes with a spell, and you did send the Mayor directly to the Shadow Realm before he had a chance to Ascend. So at least we got to see the kind of powers you definitely have,” said Xander.

Yami grinned confidently. “Thank you, Alexander. I’ll be sure to fight like a soldier, just as you did when you got turned into your soldier costume that one Halloween.”

Seeing them exchange puzzled looks, Yami then shook his head and smiled just as Xander turned back to him and said,  
“You actually called me Alexander, which is the full version of my first name. And you remember the events of that fateful Halloween two years ago, too.”

Oz remarked, “I agree.”

“Yeah,” said Buffy. “But how did you — I mean, you were there that fateful night, as we can too readily testify. But why weren’t you affected by that spell? I mean, we were all caught off-guard when Ethan turned everyone into their costumes. Why weren’t you?”

Yami replied, “Because I have the one kind of magic that Ethan was never told about, and that is Shadow magic. It’s very powerful, and it protects the user — me, in this case — from being affected by any other magic that would normally harm another person.”

“Wow,” remarked Buffy.

“Shadow magic?” said Willow.

“How extraordinary, even for you, Yami,” Xander said.

“Indeed, it is,” Amy nodded.

“I agree,” said Oz. “Apparently, Yami, you have this power deep inside of you that you know how to use. And, I think that’s pretty awesome, too.”

It was then that Xander, Buffy, Amy and Willow looked at Oz in total surprise, while Yami just smiled. Usually, Oz was kind of impassive, and if there ever was such a person that was the epitome of the well-known expression “Still waters run deep”, they knew Oz would be that person.

The next day was Saturday. Xander, Willow, Oz, Amy and Buffy were sitting at a table in the Bronze, discussing what had happened after Yami dispatched the ancient evil while the gang, including Buffy, looked on with surprise, while Yami listened, intrigued.

Then, when the Scoobies turned to him and listened, Yami said,  
“So much has changed. And yet, there is still darkness and evil in the world. There are so many enemies to defeat, so many battles to plan, and...,” here he paused and, while the Scoobies looked on, fascinated, pulled out a wooden stake and twirled it, reminding Buffy of how she had done the same thing before she dusted the vampire Sunday quite some time ago, “... so many games to play.”

None of the Scoobies knew what to say to that. They just turned and looked at each other, surprised. Sure there were enemies to defeat, and battles to plan. But... games being played? They weren’t sure about that last part, or if it was true or not.

But one thing they did know — Yami had a point. There were battles to be planned and enemies to be fought and conquered...

But games to be played? That was a whole different story altogether.

But they knew that no matter what life threw at them, they would always stick together...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice feedback is appreciated, please. :)


	3. A Great Funeral for a Great Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy comforts Buffy over the death of her mother, and confesses that she herself lost someone she loved quite some time ago as well. Yami then admits to talking with Spike, and he, along with Buffy, Amy and Dawn, attends Joyce's funeral...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Here’s a new chapter of my Yu-Gi-Oh/Buffy crossover story. This is set during the scene where the Scoobies are gathered together in “The Body” in Season Five.

Amy put her arm around Buffy’s shoulders, knowing that her friend needed some comfort over this traumatic experience of losing her mother to an aneurysm in her brain.

“Buffy,” she asked, “are you all right?” 

Buffy looked at her with tear-filled eyes. “My mom always said that the truth is best, so I will not lie. No, I’m not all right. My mother is dead, and I feel as though my whole world has collapsed around me.” 

“Oh, Buffy,” said Amy as she held the Slayer close to her while Buffy simply let her tears fall. Yami simply patted Buffy’s shoulder as a sign he wanted to comfort Joyce’s daughter, “I know how hard that is.”

“You do?” Buffy queried as she took the handkerchief Yami offered her and dried her eyes with it. 

“Yes, I do. One of my two aunts — namely, my father’s older sister — lost her sister to a drunk driver one rainy night. I was ten years old then. She later told me that, in her view, I did the best I could when it came to giving her comfort.” 

She looked at Buffy. “I never met your mom, but I feel like I know her as much as you talk about her. I’m sure she did a great job raising you and your sister Dawn.” 

Yami nodded in agreement, and then looked over at Willow. “That’s true,” he said. “You see, I’ve talked with Willow about what Joyce was like, and she told me that, unlike her absent-minded, religious and uninvolved parents and Xander’s neglectful, bitter and abusive parents — particularly his father — Joyce was always there. She was a loving, maternal presence, and usually was equipped with advice or a warm hug. 

“I’ve also talked with Spike as well,” Yami added as the Scoobies looked at him in surprise. Yami then began to explain....

******Flashback******

_“Spike?” Yami called as he entered Spike’s crypt. Spike popped his head up from the sofa he was napping on, and then grinned upon seeing it was Yami._

_“Yami,” he said, and as he stepped into the light coming from the light bulb suspended above them, Yami could tell he had been crying buckets. He knew Spike was going through the grieving process of mourning for Joyce Summers._

_Well, it was no surprise after all. Spike and Joyce had been very close — in a mother/son kind of way. It was as though Joyce had reminded Spike of his own mother, but very different._

_“I liked her, Yami. I know you understand that,” said Spike. “She was the only one of the lot of the Scooby Gang that I could stand. She always had a warm cup of cocoa, and she lent me a sympathetic ear when I tearfully divulged the details of my break-up with Drusilla, too. I have to admit something here, though — she had class. She had a lot of it in spades. I mean, she hit me over the head with an ax that one night we met in Sunnydale High School, for heaven’s sake. That showed me that she was pretty brave as well — almost as brave as Buffy, to be precise.”_

_“That’s deep,” Yami replied as he patted Spike’s shoulder in a comforting way._

_“Thanks, mate,” said Spike.”What would I do without you, Yami? You make such an awesome older brother figure for Dawn, just as I do — especially on those days when I have to sleep during the day. I want to say thanks for taking my place whenever I have to sleep during the day so I can be up at sunset. That means a lot to me.”_

_“You’re welcome, Spike. I’m glad I can help whenever I can,” Yami replied._

_After a hug, Yami left Spike’s crypt._

******End of Flashback******

“Wow, Yami,” said Xander. “You were so nice to comfort Spike like that. And he was right — you make an awesome big brother figure for Dawn, too.” 

Yami nodded. “Thanks, Alexander. I somehow knew you were going to say that,” he replied. 

He then locked eyes with every one of the Scooby Gang members — especially Amy — and said,  
“You see, I sense that all of you have grown up in some way or another, and Joyce Summers would’ve been so proud to see you all as the young men and women you are becoming. It’s part of life, I believe. It’s life, literature, pain, truth and beauty.” 

“Really?” asked Amy, as she was a bit intrigued. 

Yami nodded. “Of course, Amy. Just remember, whenever you feel sad, try to think back on all the good times you had with Joyce. I know I certainly do myself.” 

******After the funeral******

Yami was kneeling in front of the marble gravestone. Engraved on it were the words that said, “Joyce Summers — a Beloved Parent, Friend and Mother”. 

“Well, Joyce,” he said, “goodbye. May the gods of my hometown of Egypt watch over you and guide you safely into the afterlife.” He then smiled. 

As he placed a rose on the fresh dirt in front of the gravestone, he heard the sound of Amy’s, Buffy’s and Dawn’s weeping. 

“Oh, girls,” he said as he got to his feet and embraced them comfortingly, “it’s all right.” 

Amy looked at him with tear-filled eyes. “How can you be so calm, Yami?” she asked. “Buffy’s mother is now gone. We miss her so much even now.” 

“I know, Amy. I know,” replied Yami. “I will miss her too. We all will.” 

They then turned and looked at the gravestone where Joyce Summers — a wonderful woman and a great mother — was now at rest with her own mother and all those who had gone before her. 

_You were a wonderful mother to all those who had gotten the chance to meet you and knew you all through life itself,_ Yami thought, smiling. _I believe that, even though you are gone physically, you are here watching over us spiritually. To all those who saw you as their mother-figure, I’m sure you considered it to be an honor to be known as the mother among all women out there in the world. And as for those who loved you, especially your daughters Buffy and Dawn, you know that I will take care of them, help them and guide them on the path to adulthood and become the men and women they were meant to be._

_Plus, I will never forget you, Joyce. The way you would often smile — whether it was grateful, a smile of being proud of your daughters, or just remembering something nice, such as an awesome memory that touched your heart. The way you would often give Spike advice as well as a good cup of hot cocoa whenever he needed it._

_I will miss you forever, Joyce. But I know that now you are in a better place where you are watching over us, and also reunited with your own mother as well._

As Yami then led the girls back to the Summers’ house, he knew that, with his help and guidance, Buffy, Dawn, Amy and the rest of the Scooby Gang would become a whole lot stronger than they were at the present moment. Right now, though, he sensed they needed him. And, of course he felt his intuition couldn’t be more right this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, what do you think? Nice feedback is appreciated, of course. :)


	4. On the Dance Floor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy makes a confession to Amy and Yami about an event in her past. Set after Normal Again in Season 6.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter of A Powerful Warlock. Hope you like it! :)

On the Dance Floor

_On a barstool like a damn fool_  
_Hoping she won’t think I’m too much older_  
_Just another come-on line_  
_To a girl like you in a place like this_

_And on the dance floor wanting so much more_  
_I crossed that line and got that cold shoulder_  
_You probably think I’m full of it_  
_But I don’t think you’ll ever find such emptiness_

_This heart of mine is just looking for_  
_A heart like mine who’s just looking for_  
_What it can find_  
_Still looking for a heart like mine_  
~Clint Black, **A Heart Like Mine**

It was another December evening. Buffy and Amy were at the Sunnydale Mall food court, sometimes smiling at each other, sometimes looking over at Yami, who was busy window shopping while looking for the right presents for the Scooby Gang, and sometimes exchanging stories with each other.

Amy had long since heard not only about Buffy’s being called as the Slayer, but also about how she burned down the gym at her old high school, Hemery, in Los Angeles, where Buffy used to live. 

“I’m so sorry, Buffy,” she now said, putting her hand over Buffy’s in a sisterly way. “It must’ve been tough for you to hear the words ‛You’re expelled’ from the principal at Hemery, huh?” 

Buffy nodded. “Yeah. It sure was. However, the story didn’t end there, though.” 

“What happened?” Amy queried. She really wanted to know about the events that transpired after Buffy had been expelled from her old school. “It’s OK, Buffy,” she said when Buffy looked a bit reluctant at first, while at the same time doing her best to sound encouraging. “You can tell me. I promise not to laugh. Honest.” 

It was only after hearing Amy’s promise not to laugh that Buffy finally decided to tell her. After all, whoever said “Honesty is the best policy” sure knew what they meant there. 

“Well, you see, Amy,” Buffy began, choosing her words carefully, “before I was called as the Slayer and before I got expelled from Hemery, there were... problems between my mom and dad. They would usually fight over little things like money.”

“I see,” said Amy. “So, I guess I’m not the only one whose parents had problems. Looks like yours did as well.” 

Buffy nodded. “Yeah. Only, unlike you, though, Amy, at least my mother wasn’t into witchcraft or switching bodies with me just to relive her high school days. She was a good mom to me and Dawn.” 

Amy smiled at those words. “Yes. You’re right, Buffy. I feel as though I knew your mother from all those stories she had told you, which you then told me in turn.”

Then Buffy said, “When I got back home to Los Angeles from Las Vegas, Nevada, where I had gone with Oliver Pike, who used to be a slacker until I saved him from a vampire, and then became a friend of mine, something else happened to me. Something that I will never forget.” 

“Really?” Amy asked. Her eyes were full of curiosity, as well as concern for Buffy, as she sensed that whatever it was Buffy wanted to say next, it probably was heartbreaking. She could tell because of the telltale tears shining in Buffy’s emerald eyes. 

Her hunch paid off when Buffy summoned up her courage and then said, “I have a confession to make here. But it is kind of heartbreaking, since I still get teary-eyed when I remember it sometimes.” 

Amy offered her a tissue, which Buffy gratefully accepted and used to wipe the tears away from her eyes. 

Finally, Buffy pulled herself together. Then, after gathering her thoughts together, she said, “You see... uh, Amy, I think we’d better tell Yami about this.” 

“Tell me about what?” 

Yami’s unmistakable baritone voice sure was quite unique, and, in this case, so was his hearing things, even from a great distance, too. Buffy and Amy looked up at Yami, who was smiling while the handles of two shopping bags that held their Christmas and Hanukkah presents (which made four bags altogether) dangled from his arms. It was a wonder to Buffy and Amy how Yami was used to lifting such things. Maybe he had lots of practice with doing so most of the time. 

“Oh, hey, Yami,” said Amy, suddenly blushing as she usually did whenever Yami happened to be around. “Looks like you got the Christmas/Hanukkah shopping done already.”

Yami nodded. “I did.” 

After Yami set the bags under the table and made sure to put the handles underneath and then around the legs of the chair he was sitting on, he then looked at Amy and Buffy. “What is it that you wanted to tell me?” he asked. 

Amy looked at Buffy and nodded, while at the same time smiling encouragingly. Buffy took that as her cue and then looked Yami and Amy straight in the eyes while she put her thoughts together, while at the same time trying to figure out how to best phrase something that had happened to her — something that had taken place that was before her parents’ divorce, after she had become the Slayer and before she had moved from Los Angeles to Sunnydale and met her friends. 

“You see, Amy, Yami,” she finally said, “apparently, the question here is whether or not I’ve been in a mental institution — namely, before I came to Sunnydale and then met you guys, of course.”

The tears finally began to flow in a salty waterfall down her cheeks, and Yami and Amy each placed a hand over Buffy’s right one in a gesture of comfort. After picking up the tissue and wiping away the tear stains, Buffy finally went on. 

“Well, the answer to that is... yes, I have.” 

“What?” Yami queried. His crimson eyes were full of concern for Buffy, as were Amy’s dark chocolate ones. “What do you mean, Buffy?” 

Even his voice was rich with concern. 

Buffy sighed and took a deep breath. This was it. It was time for her to tell them the truth about what had happened — the events that had taken place after she was called as the Slayer, but before her parents’ marriage crumbled into pieces.

 _Which,_ Yami thought while Buffy took the time to put her thoughts together, _is kind of like how someone drops a vase or jar made of porcelain or glass on a wooden floor, but different._ Yami had long since been informed by Amy about Buffy’s parents and how they tried to keep their marriage together for Buffy’s and Dawn’s sake and failed to do so. And he had also been reading a lot of books that dealt with the subjects of parents and marriage, as well as infidelity and divorce, too. 

Of course, that had surprised Amy and Buffy at first when they had come into the Magic Box and found Yami sitting there at one of the tables with all those books about those very subjects at his elbow and one of them in front of him. But they soon got used to it and realized that a former Pharaoh, even one Yami’s age, needed his space, especially when doing something that was both vital and important like reading books. 

Yami then pulled his thoughts back into the present just then as Buffy then cleared her throat before finally looking at Amy and himself in the eyes. 

“OK, now you guys know that what I’m about to tell you is just between us and my friend Willow, since I had told her about this yesterday,” Buffy said, as Yami and Amy looked at each other and nodded, looking serious. 

Finally, after taking yet another deep breath, Buffy finally told them her secret. 

“Back when I saw my first vampires,” she began, her emerald orbs shining with new tears, “I got so scared. I told my parents... and they completely freaked out.” 

“Oh, my,” Amy said as she tried to imagine Buffy’s mother and father freaking out as a result of their daughter telling them about what she had seen. “That’s awful.” 

Yami nodded. “I agree. That must’ve been quite a shock for them to hear that.” 

“Yes,” Buffy nodded. “They thought there was something seriously wrong with me. So they sent me to a clinic.”

Buffy noticed, as did Amy, that while Yami listened to her story, his free hand began to tighten on the table top. It was as though she had again gotten the telepathy power of those unnamed telepath demons back when she was in her senior year at Sunnydale High School, and was suddenly able to read Yami’s thoughts very clearly. (She had dispatched one telepath demon, but not before getting the scratch on her hand that then led to her getting the telepathy power — which was also called “the aspect of the demon”. Angel had killed the other in order to get the antidote for Buffy so she could be cured of the telepathy power. At first Buffy had been OK with the power to read the thoughts of others, although she couldn’t do it with Angel because of his being a vampire, and answering questions when they had been studying Othello by William Shakespeare was quite nice as well. But eventually, because of her inability to control it, it had almost driven Buffy to the brink of insanity.)

 _Gosh, that’s horrible!_ Yami thought, closing his eyes and imagining the scene that played in his head: Buffy trying to get her parents to listen to her as she tried her best to tell them about the vampires she had seen with her own eyes, and then her own parents, rather than listening closely to her before telling her that they believed her when she was finished, sending her to a mental hospital for those who had, as he had heard some people put it in this day and age, “gone around the twist”, “had gone mad” or “had lost their grip on reality”.

He opened his eyes and focused just as Buffy said, “I was there for only a couple of weeks. I stopped talking about it.. and they let me go. 

“Eventually,” Buffy added with a note of finality in her voice, “my parents just... forgot.” 

Finally, the tears began to fall in a river-like fashion as they left a salty trail down her face. She realized that she was crying. 

“Buffy, look at us,” said Amy as she put a comforting arm around Buffy’s shoulders. “You’re not crazy. Yami and I, we’ve seen these vampires with our own eyes ourselves. So we know what you had seen.” 

Buffy looked at Amy and smiled. “Thanks, Amy.” 

“You’re welcome,” Amy replied. 

“Buffy, it’s going to be OK,” Yami chimed in as he reached over and wiped her tears with the now clean tissue. “And Amy here is absolutely right, you know. She and I, we have helped you when it came to battling not only vampires and demons, but also the real-life issues of growing up as well.”

Buffy looked at Yami, a look of surprise on her face, while Amy just smiled at her boyfriend. In her mind, as well as the minds of Buffy, Dawn, Willow, Xander, Giles and the other Scoobies, Yami sure was quite the philosopher. Plus, not only did he have an ability to put his thoughts into words, but he did it pretty well, too. Maybe he had gotten lots of practice long before he had met Amy and the others. She wasn’t sure. But there was one thing she did know — no matter what life threw at them, be it lemons or good luck, Yami was usually there for them to talk to. 

Amy believed this to be very true. Her mother may have played Freaky Friday with her body, but never had Catherine Madison seen such a powerful warlock as Yami certainly was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice feedback is appreciated, of course. :)


	5. Reel Around The Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yami thinks about Cassie Newton, and then, after Amy tells him that he did the right thing when he sent her mother to a place where she deserved to be, he tells Amy about his belief that Amy will make something of herself someday...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Here’s a new chapter of my Buffy/Yu-Gi-Oh crossover story. It’s set after the episode Help in Season 7. Hope you like it! :)

Reel Around The Sun

As the opening notes of the song Lift the Wings from the soundtrack to the 1996 movie Riverdance began to play, Yami sat himself down on the couch in the Summers residence. At the moment, a smile of remembrance was on his usually serious visage, for he was remembering a Sunnydale High student that was also a friend of Dawn’s: Cassandra “Cassie” Newton, who had, sadly, died from a heart attack only a few hours ago.

The yellow locks with a purple streak.

The cooking up and writing of so many poems, which she then posted on her website “Cassie’s Poetry and Paintings”.

And — Yami remembered this most of all — the precognition powers she had. The visions.

It was no wonder she reminded him of Cassandra of Greek mythology, since she and Cassie had the same first name there. Also, Greek mythology was something that Yami would often read about whenever he got the chance.

“Hey there, Yami,” said Amy’s voice.

Pulling himself back to the present, Yami looked up and smiled at the sight of his girlfriend entering the room. Amy was wearing a green T-shirt covered by a blue sweatshirt. Black jeans seemed to go on and on over her legs. On her feet were dark blue socks. In Yami’s view, she looked very beautiful; the modest look definitely suited her well. He knew that.

“Yami,” Amy began while looking all thoughtful and trying to find the right words at the same time, “what I want to say is.... thanks.” Noticing his puzzled look, she explained, “For sending my mother to a place where she deserved to be, and always being there — and not just for me, but also for Buffy, Xander, Willow, Dawn, Anya and the others as well, especially when we needed you the most.”

Yami’s smile was a secret one this time. “Oh, you’re welcome, Amy. Glad I can help, too.”

“And I also want to say thanks for something else as well,” Amy added after a moment, “and that is for helping me to stay on the side of good and not becoming like my mom, especially in the ‛Corrupted and Insane’ Department, which is how I’d put it.”

Yami nodded.

“She was really messed up,” Amy then said after another moment. “I mean, she believed that she was supposed to be in high school forever, and thought that her glory days as the cheerleader she once was would last for probably a long time. Too bad that unlike me, she had to learn three good lessons the hard way, though. First of all, high school lasts for only a short time. Second, popularity, even the kind that comes with being a cheerleader, doesn’t last for eternity. Finally, we all have to grow up into adults eventually.”

Yami nodded as he also remembered how he had accomplished the task of keeping Amy on the path of good, and in a very awesome way as well. In his mind, Amy didn’t deserve to be told over and over that she was nothing; instead, she was something, and she would make something of herself. He was sure of that, and he would see to that as well.

Now to tell Amy about it...

“Amy,” he said just as she turned to him, “I have something I want to tell you.”

“Hey, it’s OK, Yami,” she said, putting her hand over his in a gesture that consisted of comfort and encouragement. “You can tell me. I promise not to laugh. Honest.”

Hearing those words again — for the second time in what seemed like only six months — was quite nice for Yami. With that, he took a deep breath before finally making his confession.

“You see, Amy,” he began, “in my mind, you did not deserve to be told over and over again, by your mother, no doubt, that you were nothing or that for the rest of your life you would be nothing, either. To me, Amy, you are something, and you are someone, too.

“And,” he added after a moment, “I know for a fact that you will make something of yourself someday as well.”

He smiled as he spoke the last few words, and Amy returned the smile. Only her smile was one that thanked him for those kind words as well. To her, they were balm for her soul, and also did a fantastic job of counter-attacking the pessimistic words and negativity that had been put there by her mother ever since she was twelve.

For now, of course, they were content to sit there and hold a moment of silence for Cassie, and listen to the soundtrack of Riverdance. It was quite nice, as well as inspiring, actually.

There was no doubt that Cassie herself would’ve loved Riverdance, as well as been inspired to write more poems while listening to it as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice feedback is, as usual, very much appreciated, of course. :)


	6. Caught Off-Guard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yami takes on Caleb in his own version of a battle while Buffy, Amy, Dawn and Andrew look on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, my fellow writers and readers! Here’s the next chapter of my Buffy/Yu-Gi-Oh crossover story with the pairing of Amy Madison and Yami Yugi. It’s set during the episode Dirty Girls from Season 7 — mostly during the scene where Xander is about to lose one of his eyes (although in this fic, it’s Yami’s timely arrival that stops that from happening).

Caught Off-Guard

_World was on fire and no one could save me but you_  
_Strange what desire makes foolish people do_  
_I never dreamed that I’d love somebody like you_  
_And I never dreamed that I’d lose somebody like you_

_No, I don’t want to fall in love (This world is only gonna break your heart)_  
_No, I don’t want to fall in love (This world is only gonna break your heart)_  
_With you_

_What a wicked game we play,_  
_to make me feel this way_  
_What a wicked thing to do,_  
_make me dream of you_  
_What a wicked thing to say,_  
_you never felt that way_  
_What a wicked thing to do,_  
_to make me dream of you_  
~Chris Isaak, **Wicked Game**

Caleb smirked as he cornered Xander. “You’re the one who sees everything, aren’t you?” he queried. Before Xander could come up with a good reply, witty or otherwise, Caleb went on. “Well, let’s see what we can’t do about that.”

“Caleb,” an all-too-familiar baritone voice — one Caleb had heard one too many times — suddenly said in reply. Everything then stopped dead in its tracks.

Caught off-guard, the serial killer wearing the collar of a priest spun around and pulled his hands away, so focused on his attempt to get Xander in his clutches and rob him of his left eye. Caleb’s own azure orbs grew wide when he saw the owner of the voice who had spoken his name.

There, his crimson eyes glowing in the darkness and seemingly narrowed as he looked at Caleb, was none other than the guy that, as the Harbingers of Death had heard, was referred to as Yami Yugi.

At the moment, Yami was in what he referred to as his ‛battle mode’, which Amy, Buffy, Dawn, Xander, Willow and the others, including Tucker Wells’ brother Andrew, who was also a member of the Scooby Gang, liked and felt they couldn’t agree more about — his feet apart, the smirk on his normally serious yet handsome face, and one hand on his right hip.

“Yami Yugi,” said Yami by way of introducing himself. “At last we finally meet.”

Before Caleb could think of a Xander-inspired reply, witty or otherwise, to what Yami had said, he was stunned into silence upon seeing what looked like a glowing eye on Yami’s forehead.

“Oh,” Yami said, instantly realizing what the shocked look on Caleb’s face was all about. “You wanted to know about this, didn’t you?”

As he spoke, Yami pointed to the eye on his forehead. “Well, it’s about time you knew. It’s called the Millennium Symbol, and it usually appears on my forehead whenever I use a powerful kind of magic. This kind of magic is a special one that even the hell goddess Glorificus, also known as Glory, didn’t know about herself.”

After a moment, Yami then added in a casual tone, “Plus, it’s pretty cool, too.”

“What kind of magic is it that you’re referring to, Yami?” asked the all-too-familiar voice of none other than Ethan Rayne.

Yami simply smiled and then replied, “Why, Ethan, it’s the very same magic that protected me from the spell you cast that fateful Halloween night in 1997. You want to know what it is?”

Caleb and Ethan nodded, as they really wanted to know.

After freezing Caleb with a wave of his hand so that Caleb was unable to hear his answer for the moment, Yami then said, “Well, the magic that protects me from dark magic, and the magic caused by a chaos mage and sorcerer like you, Ethan, is called ‛Shadow Magic’.” He smirked at the now stunned look that crossed Ethan’s face.

Ethan soon recovered his composure long enough to ask, “Shadow Magic? **That’s** the reason why you were protected from the spell I cast that caused those who bought costumes at my shop to turn into whatever they were dressed as?”

“Yes, Ethan,” Yami replied, his tone now having changed from casual to serious in what seemed like seconds. “I somehow knew that you were the cause of that spell. I just hope that you had quite the shock of your life when you discovered that I was the only one that happened to be unaffected.”

He then turned to Caleb, who had been holding his tongue the whole time Yami spoke, and then waved his hand a second time, lifting the freezing spell so that Caleb was able to listen again. “And as for you, Caleb, there’s one thing I have sensed about you, of course.”

“And that is?” asked Caleb while a look of puzzlement replaced the stunned look on his face.

Yami closed his eyes and shook his head while smiling for a bit before opening them and saying, “Apparently, you think that women are sinful and that men are better than women in anything and everything in life, too — what with you being the misogynist you are. Well, I’m here to tell you that men and women, in my opinion, are different, and not just physically, if you will. Also, not everyone is good at everything in life, either.

“And,” Yami added, “unlike yourself, Caleb, I clearly happen to be a gentleman and have a deep respect for women. And treating a woman with respect usually means appreciating a woman for the person she is. Sometimes that means leaving a choice, especially a big one, up to a woman as well.”

Xander took the opportunity to run safely from Caleb and head over to Yami’s side.

“Go get him, Yami,” Xander whispered fiercely into Yami’s ear. “I know that if you were able to avenge Amy by simply burning her mother to ashes with a spell that only you know how to cast, then I’m positive you can definitely accomplish something like this.”

Yami, smiling still, turned to him and answered, “Yes, Alexander. And don’t worry. By the gods of Egypt, I will accomplish this. You can be sure of that. Now go and take the other Potentials back to 1630 Revello Drive. I have a serial killer to banish.”

“You bet,” said Xander before turning on his heel and taking off along with the other Potentials. Buffy, Dawn, Amy and Andrew were about to join them, but Yami’s voice soon stopped them.

 _Buffy, Amy, Dawn, Andrew, I think it’s best that you stay behind with me. I do want you to be witnesses to the demise of a serial killer. And by the way, Andrew,_ he sent while also adding a mental wink, _I sense that this could be what you refer to as a ‛moment of redemption’ for you._

Andrew looked puzzled at those words at first, but then comprehension dawned on him as he soon began to get the meaning behind them one word at a time, and finally understood what Yami meant by the ‛moment of redemption’ part, too.

Processing what Yami had told him, Andrew looked to Yami and gave him a smile. “I understand, Yami,” he replied.

Yami returned Andrew’s smile before turning to Amy and blowing her a kiss.

“For luck, my love,” he said, and Amy smiled, knowing exactly what he meant. She knew she was going to need all the help she could possibly get as well.

Yami finally turned back to Caleb and said, “Well, Caleb, if I remember correctly, you wanted to know what kind of magic I have, which you were never foretold about, and which also protects me from all the ‛dark magic’ that the evil spellcasters use.

“The name I use when referring to my magic,” Yami added after a moment, before pausing for dramatic effect, “is called Shadow Magic.” He then smirked at the wide-eyed look on Caleb’s face. “It’s very powerful, Caleb. Much more powerful than the recharging power you get from the entity known as the First Evil.”

“How did you know about—” Caleb was about to say. But that was as far as he got before Yami simply raised a hand, now glowing with his Shadow Magic, and flicked his wrist. As Buffy, Dawn, Amy, Andrew and Ethan looked on, their eyes widened as they witnessed Caleb being flung back up against the wall standing behind him. Caleb hissed as he felt his back make painful contact with the wall, and then felt himself slide down said wall.

“Looks like I still got it, even after all this time,” Yami grinned while still staying on his guard. After all, he did not want any surprise attacks from Caleb, and his Shadow Magic made sure of that as well.

“Ouch,” Caleb groaned as he managed to get to his feet. As soon as he did, he looked Yami in the eyes and glared at him. “How dare you, Yami? You actually have the nerve to use this... this... Shadow Magic of yours against me, you... you...”

But he couldn’t think of a word bad enough to call Yami at all.

For his part, Yami simply returned Caleb’s glare with his own trademark grin, which was whenever he was in a Duel with someone and the tables were about to turn in his favor.

“Former Pharaoh?” Yami finally asked to fill the silence that was left by Caleb’s trying to find a good word to refer to him as. Caleb, however, was stunned into silence for the second time that night. “News flash, Caleb — I know I am one already. Try a different name already — one I **haven’t** been previously called since — well, before I met you, that is.”

Amy, Andrew, Dawn and Buffy, listening to the back-and-forth banter, which they secretly liked, blinked once before turning to and exchanging puzzled glances with each other. The looks of confusion soon turned into amused grins as they realized what Yami had in mind for the defrocked preacher.

There was one thing they would say about Yami. He sure was quite witty and very good with comebacks, as Buffy herself could all too readily testify, having heard him switching witty puns with a vampire before staking said vamp a few days ago.

Luckily, they soon pulled themselves out of their musings and thoughts when they looked up just in time to see Yami rush at Caleb and knock him down quite easily.

Yami, of course, stayed standing on his feet, while Caleb, now bruised and bleeding from the mouth, was only capable of staying where he was.

His trademark smirk now on his face, Yami bent to Caleb’s level, gently picked him up so that he and Caleb were face to face, and then had Caleb’s chin in a gentle grip. The sight of the blood flowing in a red crimson river down the corners of Caleb’s mouth made Yami quite thirsty.

“Caleb,” Yami said, his baritone voice seemingly echoing all over the old winery, which, he remembered Andrew telling him, was known as the Shadow Valley Vineyards, “do you know what I do to those that try to make it so that the bad guys win — especially one such as yourself?”

Caleb shook his head, scared. Those crimson eyes of Yami’s, as he had heard from eavesdropping on the conversations between two or more vampires, were said to be very... well, ‛horrifying’ was the right word for it.

And why wouldn’t it be? Apparently, Yami’s crimson gaze had some kind of intensity in them that would often tell whoever he was looking at or talking to (usually the bad guys) that they were in deep trouble and would pay the price for whatever wrongs they had committed.

Intense and hungry.

Those two words seemed to be the only way when it came to best describing how Yami would look, especially in battle sometimes.

And right now, he had an intense and painful feeling that those crimson orbs were directed right at him.

Then, Yami suddenly felt the familiar buzzing in his head, which was usually when an idea came to him. And right now, he sensed this was a good one.

Turning his gaze to Andrew, Amy, Buffy and Dawn, Yami then said, “Guys, you’re going to have to close your eyes. This is definitely going to be very painful, and I don’t want you to have any nightmares, either.”

As Andrew and the others did as he commanded them to do, Andrew said, “OK, our eyes are closed.”

“Hey,” Yami’s voice said only five seconds later, “no peeking either.”

Before Buffy, Dawn, Amy or Andrew were able to ask what he meant, Yami flicked his wrist and conjured up four silk blindfolds — purple in color, of course — and then pointed each one to each of the four Scoobies. Instantly and as though of their own accord, the blindfolds then flew over to the four Scoobies and then placed themselves around their eyes before tying their ends together at the backs of their heads.

“Uh, Yami?” Amy asked, speaking for the three of her friends, “Why are we blindfolded?”

Yami simply smiled. His girlfriend sure was quite curious; it was as though she had to find out everything there was to know about the world.

 _Which,_ he thought, _possibly explains why I caught her reading all those books from the library in the Magic Shop one day. She has a thirst for knowledge. And that is something I can identify with myself._

“You’ll find out later, Amy,” he said as he pulled himself back to the situation at hand.

Turning back to Caleb and fixing him in his intense, cobra-like gaze again, Yami then let his well-known smirk cross his face for what seemed like a third time that night.

“You need proof that I’m quite possibly more powerful than you could ever hope to be?” he asked.

Caleb could only nod. He couldn’t find any words for something like this. At the moment he was unable to, anyway.

“Then here’s your proof,” Yami said, his reply sounding almost like a purr as he placed a finger over Caleb’s mouth, exactly like a parent would silence a precocious child. Then, he opened his mouth with a reflex that seemed to be almost dreamy in a neat sort of way.

Caleb tried hard not to stare at the tips of the sharp white incisors that soon made their appearance in Yami’s mouth. However, his body seemingly betrayed him as a shudder ran through Caleb’s blood, although it was in fear rather than pleasure. Yami also felt the shudder, although the smirk still stayed on his face.

“Oh, and by the way, Caleb,” Yami then said while keeping his tone all casual, “this situation — the one you are currently in now — leaves me with just one question for you.” He brought his mouth close to Caleb’s right ear. “Are you the type to scream in pain, just like the female victims that crossed your path, but never lived to tell the tale? If so, feel free.”

Before Caleb had time to answer, Yami cocked his head and sank the sharp, white incisors into the soft flesh of the ex-preacher’s throat. At first, Caleb struggled in pain, but soon was unable to do anything rather than relax as he felt Yami’s touch on his mind and sank into Yami’s deathlike grip. With that, Yami began to drink Caleb’s crimson life force, and growled mentally when he noticed that, with the First Evil now gone, Caleb’s blood was now its usual red color instead of the oil-like substance with a dark black color it would usually take on when he merged with the First Evil.

One of Yami’s hands had a tight grip on Caleb’s left shoulder, while the other snaked around Caleb’s waist and soon pressed up against his left hip, thus pressing Caleb’s body against Yami’s.

As irresistible as it was, Yami soon had to fight off the urge to keep feeding as he felt Caleb stepping close — too close — to the threshold of no return. With desperate and calculated haste, he pulled his fangs out at the last moment, leaving Caleb stranded at the crossroads between life and death.

Licking the blood off of his lips, Yami got to his feet and turned back to Andrew, Amy, Buffy and Dawn. His smirk now back on his face, Yami snapped his fingers, and the blindfolds disappeared.

“You can open your eyes now,” he said.

Buffy blinked, trying to adjust her vision. Then she opened her emerald gaze and perceived Yami, his crimson eyes now holding a smile, while Andrew, Dawn and Amy also let their own eyes do some adjusting of their own.

“Yami?” asked Buffy. “What happened?”

“Yeah,” said Amy. “What happened to Caleb?”

Yami simply smiled his cryptic smile — the very one that would often make Andrew wonder about him so much — and then said, “Well, take a look for yourselves.”

As he said this, he snapped his fingers a second time, and then the lights came on. When Buffy, Dawn, Amy and Andrew finally let their eyes adjust to the light, they looked around.

Then they saw Yami standing there, a smile on his face. Seeing their puzzled looks, he then casually stepped aside, and what Buffy, Andrew, Amy and Dawn saw made them blink in shock while at the same time doing their best not to burst into hysterics.

There, lying on the ground of the winery and surrounded by the left-over crimson life force forming a pool around him, was Caleb. He looked as though he was asleep. His eyes were closed, and his mouth bore a hint of a look of fear, as though he was in the middle of a nightmare that frightened him.

“Oh, my gosh,” Buffy said as she realized what Yami had done. “You drained him of his blood.”

Yami nodded. “Why not? It only seemed fair. Also, I trapped his mind in the Shadow Realm, which also seemed fitting for someone like him.” He then turned to Buffy, and his voice turned cold as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Buffy, will you tell me to close my eyes before driving a sword through my heart as you did with Angel, young lady?”

Upon hearing the tone his voice seemed to have taken on all of a sudden, Buffy shivered. It was as though Yami had taken a cloak made out of ice and snow and thrown it over her shoulders.

“No,” she finally said. “Our work is here is finally done.”

Andrew nodded. “But yours has just begun, I’m afraid.”

“I agree, Yami,” said Amy. As she spoke those words, Yami slipped his hand into hers, almost as easily as slipping on the clothes that belonged to a Pharaoh.

Buffy and Dawn looked at each other, and then nodded as they turned back to Yami. They knew exactly what Andrew and Amy had meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice feedback is, as usual, very much appreciated, of course. :)


End file.
